The Nashoba Brook Bakery is not only known for their bread and granola — they’re also known for the love that they put into their products.
In fact, love is so ingrained in the culture of the Concord, Massachusetts bakery that they felt the need to add it to the ingredient list of their granola. Unfortunately, the FDA wasn’t amused, and on Sept. 25, the bakery was issued a notice that the word would need to be taken off of their packaging.
“They had some concerns about the ways our products were labeled and one of them was that we add love as a listed ingredient in our granola,” John Gates, Nashoba Brook Bakery’s CEO and co-founder told TODAY. “In part we did that in a lighthearted way, but it’s not a marketing thing — we’ve always done it because we care.”
The FDA’s visit to Nashoba Brook Bakery was routine, however, the bakery did receive additional citations, which included documented "unsanitary conditions." Gates said that they have responded to the FDA’s letter and they are working on implementing the requested changes.
“I reached out and said we intend to fully comply,” said Gates. “We’re passionate, we pay attention and in doing what we do if you just follow a recipe you might get a decent outcome, but to get a really good outcome you have to care. You have to love it.”
Gates also said that in the bakery’s response letter to the FDA they are making a case that will hopefully allow them to keep “love” on the ingredient list — after all, according to Gates, it’s been there for 20 years.
“We will comply with everything that they’ve asked us to do,” said Gates. “But in our written response we will ask them for consideration to allow us to keep it.”
Regardless, Nashoba Brook Bakery won’t let the FDA’s citation keep love from acting as “a symbol to our customers and our employees to love what you do and it will turn out right.”
“They may take 'love' off the ingredient list,” said Gates. “But we will never take it out of what we do.”